Comforter

ABSTRACT

A comforter comprises a safety shield (2) and a teat rubber (1) formed integral with a circumferential collar (4). This collar (4) abuts and covers the surface of the safety shield in front of the mouth and forms an inclining movable contact surface resembling a mamma. The peripheral rim area of the collar includes a solid rim (4&#39;) forming an extra protection and preventing the comforter from being swallowed. Fastening means are also provided in the form of for instance a locking disk (3) and a securing member is provided in the form of for instance an inwardly turned circumferential marginal flange (5) for maintaining the teat rubber (1) and its collar safely upon the safety shield (2).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a comforter comprising a safety shieldand a teat rubber moulded integral with a circumferential collar, thethickness of which corresponds substantially to the thickness of theteat rubber.

BACKGROUND ART

Usual comforters comprise a plug maintaining the teat rubber in thecentre of the safety shield. The baby may place such a comforter so thatthe hard safety shield preventing the baby from swallowing the comforterabuts the rim of the lower teeth whereas the upper front teeth abut theportion of the plug extending a short distance downwards through thehole of the rubber teat. As a result the front upper teeth are subjectedto a heavy pressure from below. However, the baby may bite so hard inthe rubber plug end that the teeth bite through the rubber and finallybite said rubber in two so thaat the baby may either swallow said rubberor get it into the trachea. Furthermore, these known comforters have thedrawback that it is impossible to keep the connection between the rubberand the plastic placed immediately in front of the mouth bacteria-free.The baby may also be sucking these known comforters so that a vacuumarises in the oral cavity involving a deformation of the palate so thatthe palate becomes high and narrow. This drawback may influence therudiment for the permanent teeth present above the milk teeth in thejawbone so that the permanent teeth become malpositioned or pointedoutwards. Moreover, the baby may by means of the known comforters form atight loop beneath the front teeth by pushing the teat rubber backwardsagainst the palate with the tongue. Although the outer shape of thesecomforters may resemble the mamma, they have all the above drawbacks.

British patent specification No. 27,198 discloses a comforter comprisinga safety shield and a teat rubber, the projecting collar of whichsurrounds the plane safety shield and is tightened thereabout, saidcollar comprising a flange curved backwards. This comforter comprises aplane, rigid surface facing the mouth of the baby and may implyexcoriation about the mouth. This surface comprises no movability. Theteat rubber is the natural rubber usually used for all comforters today,and then influenced by the saliva this rubber dissolves and swells insuch a manner tht the surface after use for a short time is porous,which provides favourable conditions for bacteria. By storage for a longtime the rubber oxidizes and turns hard, which implies tht a baby mayeasily bite the teat body into two and either swallow said body or getit into the trachea. As a consequence of the crumbling of the teatrubber, requirements exist for the lifetime for the rubber, before theexpiration of which the comforters must be returned to the producer.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The object of the invention is to provide a comforter comprising asafety shield, the teat rubber and associate collar of which are looselymovable, and which to a far higher extent than previous comfortersresembles a mamma.

The comforter according to the invention is characterised in that thecollar strainlessly abuts and substantially only covers the entiresurface of the safety shield in front of the mouth and furthermoreinclines upwards towards or along said safety shield to form a movablecontact surface for the lips of the baby, whereby the collar along itsouter rim area comprises an outwardly directed, circumferential, solidrim moulded integral with said collar and loosely abutting theperipheral surface of the safety shield opposing the mouth or projectingbeyond said safety shield. In this manner it is inter alia obtained thatthe rubber is movable, whereby the comforter resembles a mamma and thecomforter is more hygienic in use as no connection between the rubberand the plastic is present immediately in front of the mouth of the babyas by the comforters commonly used today. Owing to the flexibility ofthe collar it is obtained that the baby cannot suck so that a vacuumarising in the oral cavity may deform the palate, and furthermore thatthe baby by means of the soft collar rubber in front of the mouth mayform a tight loop under the front teeth by pushing the teat rubberbackwards against the palate. The baby cannot swallow such a teat rubberwith a collar and a solid rim, even if said teat rubber should be tornefrom the safety shield. Thus the circumferential solid rim forms anextra protection. Finally, it is in a simple manner obtained that thegroove in front of the mouth of the baby by known comforters and whichis subjected to the risk of being filled with saliva and therebyattacked by the detrimental agents of the saliva, is not adjacent thearea of the mouth. In addition the loosely abutting rim ensures an easycleaning.

It is according to the invention preferred that the collar, the solidrim thereof, and the teat rubber moulded integral therewith aremanufactured of a soft, resilient material preferably chemicallyinactive towards saliva. Thereby the risk of biting the teat rubber intwo is reduced, since the usual rubber is decomposed by the saliva andstarts crumbling. Furthermore, it is preferred that the material used issilicon rubber.

In order to maintain the teat rubber on the safety shield it isaccording to the invention preferred that a securing member for securingthe teat rubber and the collar to the safety shield by co-operating witha fastening means is provided on the side of the collar opposing thesafety shield and moulded integral with said safety shield, whereby thecollar optionally projects beyond said safety shield.

Moreover according to the invention the fastening means may be a lockingdisk comprising a central projection welded or glued to the rim of acentral hole in the safety shield, and the securing member of the teatrubber may be a circumferential marginal flange turned inwards andmoulded integral with the collar and furthermore clamped between the rimedge or rim surface and the surface of the safety shield opposing thelocking disk, whereby a simple and efficient securing of the teat rubberis ensured.

In order to provide an additional securing, it is according to theinvention preferred that the rim of the marginal flange facing thecentre comprises a circumferential bead clamped between the safetyshield and the locking disk.

An additional securing may be obtained by the bead being fixed behind acircumferential rib placed radially outside said bead and on the safetyshield, said bead being clamped between said safety shield and thelocking disk.

According to an alternative embodiment of the comforter according to theinvention, the fastening means is a locking ring having a substantiallyU-shaped cross section with two legs, whereby the inner sectional leg iswelded or glued to the safety shield, and the outer sectional leg ends ashort distance from the safety shield, and the securing member of theteat rubber is a circumferential marginal flange turned inwards andmoulded integral with the collar and with a circumferential bead alongthe rim of the inner marginal flange, said bead being clamped in thehollow space of the U and towards the surface of the safety shield. Thisembodiment renders it possible to exert a pull of more than 25 kg in theteat rubber without separating the parts, which also applies to theabove embodiments.

According to a third embodiment, whereby a sufficient mutual securing ofthe parts is also ensured, the fastening means comprises a hollowprojection having a first lower circumferential rib, and a cylindricalportion welded or glued to the lower marginal surface of the projectionand having a second lower circumferential rib, whereby the projectionand the portion are introduced from their respective side into thecentral hole of the safety shield, the diameter of said central holecorresponding to or being a short distance smaller than the largestdiameter of the ribs, said ribs having a mutual distance being somewhatlarger than the thickness of the safety shield, and whereby the securingmember of the teat rubber is a ring flange moulded integral with andextending upwards from the collar, said ring flange being placedadjacent the connection between the collar and the teat body of the teatrubber and comprising a bead and furthermore being clamped in theannular opening formed between the cylindrical portion and the wall ofthe hole of the safety shield, whereby the bead is located above thesafety shield and the first rib. As a result both a collar looselyabutting the safety shield to form a soft sucking surface and aparticular pull-resistant fastening by means of the vertical, uprightring flange with bead are obtained.

It is according to the invention preferred that the hollow space formedby the collar, the teat rubber, and the safety shield communicates withthe surrounding air, so as to ensure an appropriate softness of the teatrubber.

Furthermore it is preferred that the solid rim coincides with theperipheral rim surface of the safety shield opposing the mouth orprojects beyond said rim surface, whereby the entire surface of thesafety shield opposing the mouth is uniformly covered by a flexible,resilient layer forming a movable contact surface towards the lips ofthe baby.

It is obvious that all the above embodiments may be manufactured with orwithout a ring, and that the comforters without a ring are essentiallyflatter than any of the known comforters.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the comforter according to the invention willbe described below with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a comforter,

FIG. 2 illustrates a variation of the embodiment of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 illustrates a second embodiment of the comforter,

FIG. 4 illustrates a locking ring used in connection with the comforterillustrated in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 illustrates a third embodiment of the comforter, and

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of a comforter substantially corresponding tothe comforter of FIG. 5.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The comforter illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a teat rubber 1, a safetyshield 2 which inter alia ensures that a baby cannot swallow thecomforter, and a locking disk 3. The teat rubber comprises a collar 4substantially covering the entire surface of the safety shield 2opposing the mouth of the baby. The collar 4 is moulded integral withthe teat rubber and comprises a circumferential marginal flange 5turning inwards and preferably ending in a bead 6. The locking disk 3comprises a central projection 7 extending upwards through a centralhole 8 in the safety shield 2. This central projection is welded orglued to the upper or lower inner rim of the central hole. The weldingis preferably performed by ultrasound or heat welding. The locking disk3 comprises a relatively sharp rim edge 9 and a rim surface 10 opposingthe safety shield 2. The central projection may be hollow and comprise acentral wall 11 positioning a ring (not shown). Furthermore, holesreceiving a ring (not shown) may be provided in the wall of the centralprojection. Along the outer rim area, the collar 4 comprises a solid rim4' moulded integral therewith and loosely abutting the surface of thesafety shield opposing the mouth. In this embodiment the rim 4' is verysolid to form an extra protection so that the baby does not swallow theteat rubber in case said teat rubber should be used independently of thesafety shield and project a short distance thereabove. A circumferentialprojection 2' is provided a short distance within or adjacent the bead 6on the safety shield 2, said projection being moulded integral with saidsafety shield. This projection abuts the locking disk 3 and is weldedthereto. In this manner the assembled ends of the locking disk 3 and thesafety shield 2 are prevented from separating and thereby from formingan opening during boiling of the comforter owing to the softerconsistency of the plastics when heated. In this manner the projection2' ensures the securing of the bead 6.

In an air filled comforter is desired, the central projection 7 may forinstance be moulded in a solid form.

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the comforter according to theinvention, which deviates slightly from the comforter of FIG. 1 by acircumferential rib 14 in this embodiment being placed on the safetyshield 2. This circumferential rib opposes in radial direction the bead6 of the marginal flange 5 of the collar 4 when the comforter isassembled. Thereby it is further ensured that the collar is preventedfrom being pulled out in radial direction. The end of the solid rim 4'coincides with and extends uniformly into the bevelled rim surface ofthe safety shield or may project therebeyond to achieve a highermovability.

Furthermore, a flat ring 15 comprising projections 28 is shown in thisdrawing. These projections extend substantially perpendicular to theupright parts 29 of the ring, whereby the projections in spite of astrong pull cannot slide out of the holes 12. The flat top portion ofthe ring is suited for gluing thereon a label.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the teat rubber 1 alsocomprises a collar 4 and a solid rim 4' moulded integral with saidcollar. This solid rim surrounds the rim of the safety shield andthereby forms an extra strong protection so that the baby cannot swallowa loose teat rubber. The teat rubber 1 furthermore comprises acircumferential marginal flange 5 turned inwards and a bead 6, which isthe securing member of the teat rubber, cf. above. The fastening meansfastening the teat rubber to the safety shield 2 is in this embodiment alocking ring 16 having a substantially U-shaped cross section with twolegs 17, 18. The inner sectional leg 17 is welded or glued to the safetyshield 2 and the outer sectional leg 18 ends a short distance from thesafety shield. The locking ring clearly appears from FIG. 4. Aprojection 7 for a ring (not shown) is furthermore provided in thecentre of the safety shield 2. When it is desired not to use a ring, thesafety shield may be formed as a completely flat or slightly curved diskwithout a central hole and a projection, whereby an air filled teatrubber is obtained which simultaneously ensures that the comforter is asflat as possible and does not hamper the baby in bed.

The comforter illustrated in FIG. 3 is assembled by everting the bead 6downwards into the hollow space 19 of the locking ring 16, subsequentlypressing the locking ring firmly against the safety shield by a pressureopposite the inner leg 17, and finally assembling the locking ring andthe safety shield by welding or gluing, preferably by ultrasound or heatwelding.

According to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the teatrubber 1 also comprises a collar 4 ending in a rim 4' moulded integraltherewith. This rim 4' abuts the safety shield and is illustrated in theembodiment permitting the maximum possible movement of the collar 4. Atthe same time the solid rim 4' is tightened about the safety shieldduring sucking as a consequence of the consistency of the rubber,whereby penetration of liquid into the interspace between the safetyshield and the collar is limited. This embodiment is particularly easyto clean. Unlike the other embodiments, an upright ring flange 20 issituated on the collar 4 adjacent the connection between the collar andthe teat portion. At the top this ring flange 20 ends in acircumferential bead 21. The safety shield 2 comprises a hole 8. Thefastening means is an annular hollow projection 22 comprising a firstlower circumferential rib 23, and may have holes 12 receiving a ring(not shown). Furthermore, the fastening means comprises a cylindricalportion 24 comprising a second lower circumferential rib 25. At thefinal assembling, the projection 22 and the portion 24 are weldedtogether along their abutting marginal surfaces 26 and 27, respectively.The diameter of the circumferential ribs 23, 25 corresponds to or is asmall amount larger than the diameter of the central hole 8. If acomforter always filled with air is desired, a locking disk may beplaced on the portion 24 at 28.

The comforter illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 is assembled by inserting thecylindrical portion 24 into the comforter, then pressing the ring flange20 and the bead 21 upwards through the hole 8, subsequently pressing theannular projection 22 downwards into the ring flange of the comforteruntil the rib 23 is under the bead 21 and the marginal surfaces of theprojection 22 and the portion 24 are in contact with each other, andfinally welding these portions together by heat or ultrasonic welding.If gluing is used, a preferably two component glue of known art isapplied to the two marginal surfaces 26, 27 before the assembling,whereafter the parts are pressed together.

Irrespective of the choice of embodiment, a comforter is providedcomprising a large skin-like surface opposing the mouth of the baby,whereby the comforter to a higher extent than previously resembles amamma. It is at the same time by means of the collar which may looselyabut the safety shield, cf. FIG. 5, obtained that sufficient rubber ispresent for preventing the teeth of the baby from reaching the verysmall and slightly projecting contact surfaces on the side of the safetyshield opposing the mouth of the baby. Furthermore, a groove, in whichbacteria may be present, is avoided immediately in front of the mouth ofthe baby.

I claim:
 1. A comforter comprising:a teat rubber having a hollow bulbousportion closed at one end and integrally attached at its open end to oneend of a hollow elongated cylindrical member having a longitudinal axis,said portion and said member being intended for insertion into the mouthof a user; a truncated generally conical flange attached at its smallerdiameter to the other end of said member and arranged to taper outwardlyfrom said axis and away from said portion; said flange furthercomprising a substantially circular outer edge and attached thereto arim having a first lip directed substantially radially inwardly towardsaid axis, said first lip terminating in a bead which is in spacedrelation to said axis; said rim having a second lip directedsubstantially radially outward from said first lip and being coextensivetherewith; a safety shield shaped so as to extend between andcontiguously adjoin a major portion of said conical flange surfacedirected toward said axis and the adjacent surface of said first lip;and fastening means overlying said rim such that said second lip issupported and said first lip is entrapped between said shield and saidfastening means; thus, securing together said comforter.